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Brave Investors

We’ve heard many people say they can’t bear to look at their 401(k) or brokerage statements these days. But is this true? ABC News/Washington Post polling this month suggests not. When people who own stocks or mutual funds were asked if they have “checked your financial holdings or statements in the past few weeks,” a brave 68 percent said that they have.

But this appears to be as much a case of masochism as of financial management: Just 13 percent of investors said they’ve changed any of their holdings in recent weeks. Meanwhile, 79 percent of all respondents said they view stocks as a risky investment. One sees their point.